Setting up comparison between Caleb Williams and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud a losing proposition

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams never has been afraid to articulate his dreams. He writes his goals on his phone screen, so they’re never far away.

Ask him whether he’s motivated by Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s success, however, and he’s quick to distance himself from any comparison.

‘‘My motivation is to be the best for the Chicago Bears, win games, get to the playoffs and, you know, win games there,’’ he said this week.

Comparing young quarterbacks — even the No. 1 overall pick — to Stroud is a losing proposition.

‘‘Everyone’s journey is different,’’ Bears coach Matt Eberflus said.

Stroud was a rocket ship. The Bears scouted the former Ohio State star in 2023 before deciding to trade their No. 1 overall selection to the Panthers, who used it on Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The Bears’ front office was surprised not only by how quickly Stroud adapted to the NFL but by how dominant he was after the Texans drafted him No. 2 overall. In his second career game, he threw for 384 yards.

Stroud posted what many consider to be the best overall season by a rookie quarterback in NFL history last season. His 4,108 passing yards were the third-most by a first-year passer and would be the most in Bears history. In a game against the Buccaneers, Stroud set the rookie record with 470 passing yards and tied another with five touchdown passes. Later, he became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game.

Stroud praised Williams this week, calling him ‘‘a playmaker, somebody who can extend plays and make all the cool throws.’’ Asked by Texans reporters what advice he would give Williams, Stroud suggested he be himself.

‘‘Understand whatever got you here is just good enough,’’ Stroud said. ‘‘You don’t have to be a superhero. You don’t have to try to make all the plays. Sometimes the boring plays are good. . . .

‘‘[He’s] just really talented, so I definitely do think that he has great things coming in his career and I definitely do think he’ll get his rhythm going. It takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight.’’

Williams knows that firsthand after going 14-for-29 for 93 yards and a 55.7 passer rating in the Bears’ opener against the Titans. Those stats fell with a thud, even by the roller-coaster standards of rookie quarterbacks.

‘‘Being a rookie quarterback is hard and something I don’t miss,’’ Stroud said.

He was the aberration. The average NFL passer rating last season was 89.1. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, only eight first-round rookie quarterbacks who started at least nine games and threw at least 200 passes eclipsed that mark; 58 tried. Stroud’s 100.8 last season ranks second all-time for a rookie, behind Robert Griffin III (102.4) in 2012.

Bears passing-game coordinator Thomas Brown, who was on the Panthers’ staff that drafted Young first overall, said the Texans were able to slow the game down for Stroud last season by simplifying pass progressions.

‘‘I was a big fan of his,’’ Brown said. ‘‘Liked him even more when I met him in person, with his mentality. He’s competitive, he’s confident and he was himself, which is a great thing about him. He had a monumental year last year, especially for a rookie.’’

Eberflus said he noticed how comfortable Stroud seemed right away.

‘‘He was coached well to stay in the pocket,’’ he said. ‘‘I think that he naturally keeps his eyes down the field and doesn’t look at the rush, which happens to a lot of young quarterbacks. He’s able to do that. . . . He’s got a lot of skill around him.”

The Bears tried to build a similar environment for Williams by adding wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett to their offense this offseason. They combined for 65 yards on 16 touches in the opener.

‘‘Comparing that to myself and [Stroud’s] rookie year, typically guys coming in, they have to figure it out,’’ Williams said. ‘‘That’s what we are doing right now. I didn’t have, obviously, the performance I wanted to. So trying to figure it out as fast as possible, making sure we are on the same page, making sure we are handling things that we need to handle. . . . All the small things become a lot larger on game day.’’

Williams and Stroud pointed to stats that said the same thing: There were few quarterbacks, veterans or rookies, who had stellar performances in Week 1. The Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes, but only a quarter of all starters threw more than one. Perhaps that’s a product of quarterbacks playing less often in preseason games.

‘‘Everybody’s kind of rusty,’’ Stroud said. ‘‘Trying to just get those cleats out and get that rust away. And I think quarterback play will start picking up Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, just like every year. So I definitely think [Williams] will get his rhythm.’’

A slow day for Stroud was still impressive enough. He passed for 234 yards and two touchdowns and had a 115.9 passer rating in a 29-27 road victory in the Texans’ opener against the Colts.

It gives Williams plenty to chase, whether he wants to talk about it or not.

‘‘It’s an honor to see those guys, like, try to catch me and try to do what I did last year and better,’’ Stroud said. ‘‘Because I think that’s what makes football so special. One year, somebody will break those records. Somebody will do something more special than I did my rookie year.’’